Hidden Secrets
by Miya Azlikov
Summary: Ever since her parents died in two separate tragic incidents, Mikan has been living with her best friend, Hotaru. In their freshmen year, they're sent to Alice Academy, which is focused on sports and performance arts, esp. modeling. Her whole life is hidden in lies, under fake smiles and laughs. But when she catches the eye of Natsume Hyuuga, will he be able to change her?
1. Alice Academy

The heart monitor was fading, the beeps getting slower and slower. My mother's eyes were beginning to shut, and her shoulders were slouching in defeat. Her breathing became thin and shallow.

Around me, the nurses were moving around hysterically. She was _dying—_my precious mother, my last family member. Her organs were shutting down at this very moment, and she had less than five minutes left.

"Mikan, smile." My mom murmured, her hand weakly clasped in between mine. "Please, one last time, for me?"

I forced a smile, but tears were streaming down my cheeks. "Mom, don't go…"

"I'm sorry, Mikan. I love you so much, and if your father was here, he'd say the same thing," Mom whispered. "Remember to be a good girl when you live with Hotaru, okay? Always be nice and kind. Go to college. Study hard."

I nodded and she continued. "Whatever you do, always try your best. Go for your dreams. I'll always support you in my heart. And don't cry too much when I'm gone, okay sweetie? Don't waste your tears on me….I love…you—"

The heart monitor flat-lined, and I jumped up, knocking down the chair I was sitting on. Now, the nurses had stopped in defeat, some shaking their heads and looking away. But I was screaming and crying over my mother's still body. The nurses tried to comfort me, but to no avail. Finally, they left me alone.

That day, I lost the person I loved the most. And ever since then…well, things just haven't been the same.

* * *

Four Years Later ~

"We have two transfer students this semester," Narumi announced to his freshman class. It immediately captured the attention of his students, who never listened to him. Being at Alice Academy, where sports and performance arts were heavily focused on, most of his students didn't care for their academics. And sadly, he was the teacher of that three-period academic segment.

"Both of them are very talented girls," Narumi explained. He opened the door and ushered the two in. He smiled in encouragement and said, "Introduce yourselves, please."

"Hotaru Imai." The first was completely emotionless, with short black hair that framed her pale face and purple eyes. She wore a simple blue sweater and jeans. With her intimidating aura, she seemed more mature and stoic, but she was still pretty.

"Hi, I'm Mikan Sakura. Nice to meet you," said the second girl with a modest bow. She was a bit taller, with a slim but fit body. If Hotaru had been pretty, Mikan was completely breath-taking. Her long, chestnut hair cascaded down her back, curling at the ends. Her eyes were an alluring hazel, but they were filled with sadness, even though her lips were turned upward in a small halfhearted smile. Mikan was dressed in a laced silvery blouse, dark gray cardigan, and fitted skinny jeans.

"Well, let's see…" Narumi glanced down at his clipboard. "Hotaru is a three-star. She models, does ballet, and plays soccer. She's _also _a top, top student who aced the entrance exam and is a semi-famous inventor." Everyone could hear the happiness in Narumi's voice. He was completely ecstatic to have a smart kid in his class.

"On the other hand, Mikan is…" Narumi flipped to the next page. "Oh? Mikan's a _special_ star. She'll be the only special in this academy, alongside Natsume. Isn't that impressive, class?"

In response, the students nodded. Natsume, in the back, raised an eyebrow curiously. A girl who matched up with _his _skills? Well, he admitted she was beautiful. After catching himself staring into her mesmerizing eyes, he quickly averted his gaze to his manga, but his thoughts were still on the new girl, Mikan.

"She models, sings, plays violin, piano, soccer, and ice-skating. However…let's just say that Mikan passed the entrance exam with _flying colors._"

Narumi's sarcasm was evident, and Mikan blushed in embarrassment. The class laughed, and someone in the front asked, "What was her score?"

"She passed by one point," Narumi said in a flat voice. Then he turned cheery in a matter of seconds, which made everyone sweat-drop because of his alter ego. "Anyways, who's going to be your partners, hm?"

All the boys' hands shot up in the air. A few girls raised their hands, but majority of them were rolling their eyes at the boys' stupidity. Most of them were already partnered, and everyone knew you couldn't switch partners.

"Hotaru, why don't you partner with Ruka? He's in the back, the blonde," Narumi said. Hotaru nodded impassively, and stalked off to sit next to Ruka.

"Mikan…well, why don't we group the specials? Go sit next to Natsume, behind Hotaru," Narumi said, avoiding the heated glares (from the fangirls) that immediately shot up at him. He then said, "Free academic period!" before scurrying out the door.

Mikan walked to her new seat, and outstretched her hand. With a brief glance, she took in Natsume's flawless features—the strong jawline, crimson eyes, ebony black hair that was artfully mussed, washboard abs, perfectly chiseled body—but it didn't affect her at all.

She presented him with a cheerful, innocent-looking smile that would fool most people. But Hotaru could see the pain hidden behind it; and somewhere in him, Natsume noticed it too. "Mikan Sakura, nice to meet you."

Natsume's heart skipped a beat, but as a cover, he just looked at her hand and replied, "Whatever."

_How cold, _Mikan thought. _Well, I can play that game too. _So Mikan just turned away, introduced herself to the others around her, and completely ignored Natsume even though she could feel his eyes on her the whole time.

Then a girl with dark blonde hair approached Mikan, bubble gum in her mouth, and what seemed like two inches of make-up coating her face. She wore an extremely tight tube skirt, with a low-cut blouse that was semi-transparent. Mikan refrained from gagging at the disgusting sight before her.

It was none other than the richest, most fake, annoying girl on campus: Luna Koizumi.

"Can I help you with something?" Mikan raised an eyebrow, propping her head on her elbow. She had a feeling this would probably end badly.

"Actually, yes," Luna said in a high-pitched squeal. Mikan refrained from covering her ears, but she still winced. "I was wondering…can you get away from _my _Natsume?"

"Oh, him?" Mikan pointed at her partner, voice placid and bored.

Luna stomped her foot like a little brat. "Hurry up! That's _my _seat. And, you see, Natsume's mine."

Mikan stretched her arms and leaned back on the chair. "I don't see why you're making such a fuss."

"You can't see the god next to you?" Luna screeched.

Mikan gave Hotaru a mock serious glance, but sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Hotaru, you never told me that the girls at this school were possessive and called dibs on the guys. Hey, can I take my pick right now, too?"

Hotaru smirked in response, but she didn't say anything. The class, however, had burst into laughter because for once, Luna Koizumi was at a loss for words. Ruka had his eyebrows raised, and a ghost of a smile played on Natsume's lips as he observed Mikan curiously. Luna, on the other hand, stared at Mikan open-mouthed, her face beet red.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?" Luna spat.

Mikan narrowed her eyes, her voice coming out cold and stony. "Don't bring my parents into this."

"Why not?" Luna said shrilly. "Oh no, did you have a little fight with your mommy? And now you're bitter? I bet your parents spoil you so much, and that's why you're the bitch you are right now. Or, let me guess, your mom's the one who runs off and elopes with other men every other week? No wonder _you're_ so pathetic. What's the saying again? _Like mother like daughter._"

(Nobody knew how Luna came to this conclusion, but they didn't expect what happened next…)

Mikan stood up sharply, and Luna gave a coy smile. The smile disappeared the moment Mikan brought up my hand and slapped her, hard, across the cheek. She took several steps backward, looking at me like I was crazy.

"You _dare_…" Luna gasped, hand caressing her face.

"Don't ever talk about my parents like that," Mikan repeated, words dark and dripping with venom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hotaru's worried expression. She knew how Mikan got out of hand when people brought her family up.

Mikan stormed towards the door, and paused when her hand touched the knob. She looked over her shoulder, tears in her eyes. She locked eyes with Luna, who was still in a disheveled state.

"I loved my mother very much, but she died of cancer. My dad was murdured in front of my very own eyes," Mikan said, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "They were the best people I ever knew. If you talk trash about them _ever_ again…there's worse coming."

Then she slammed open the door, and ran down the corridor with the tears falling down her cheeks.

Back in the classroom, everyone collapsed into murmur after Mikan left. Hotaru abruptly stood up and ran to follow her best friend, leaving Ruka and Natsume to talk without being overheard.

"They're both interesting, aren't they?" Ruka muttered. "Especially that Mikan." Natsume was silent, but Ruka could tell (almost telepathically) that he agreed. Ruka almost thought he saw worry and concern in Natsume's eyes, but shrugged it off. Natsume had never cared for a girl, so it probably was his eyes playing tricks on him.

Then Koko, the class clown, ran up to the front of the room and wrote on the board in bright, red marker: LUNA KOIZUMI JUST GOT PWNED.

* * *

I ran out the classroom, down all these hallways until I didn't even know where I was. I ended up walking into this little studio, which was obviously a practice room for an instrumentalist. There was a long couch by the wall, a table strewn with violin cases, another stacked with paperwork, and a grand piano. Frustrated, I sat there on the couch, reliving the memories. There were the ones that brought nostalgic tears to my eyes—the bittersweet memories of my childhood growing up with them. Memories that I cherished, but memories that made me miss myy parents all the more.

Then there were the ones that gave me nightmares; the memories that made me break down in a different way. These were the memories of my mother's pale face as she fought her cancer for three years. The memories of that man, dressed in all black, beating up my father, and then finally shooting him in the chest three times.

I shook myself hard, and like always, I turned to music for comfort. Almost like a second nature, I felt myself drawn towards the violins. I picked one up, tucked it under my chin, and took a random bow from the case.

My hands slightly shaking, I eased myself from the pain as I transferred it into the music…


	2. A Second Meeting

After the commotion with Luna and the new girl, gossip and rumors spread through the whole room like a bonfire. You'd think that after slapping someone, people would talk bad about you.

Well, that changes when you happened to slap the most annoying, spoiled girl on earth: Luna. People were calling her amazing, fearless, beautiful, talented. It was like they treated her as a new god. And the fact that she was a special never slipped from their minds. Specials were prodigies, and to become one as a freshman? Virtually impossible.

I was the only one, until now.

* * *

I stood up and brushed my textbooks back into my bag, then flung it into the small cubbies where we kept our schoolbags. It was suffocating in here, with all these fangirls surrounding me.

"Where are you going?" Ruka asked, following me out the door.

"Studio," I replied. I needed some time to think, _alone_. And Ruka knew that.

"Okay, just don't be late for soccer practice," he exclaimed. Then he turned on his heels, back towards the classroom.

My personal studio was in the special sector, which was always empty. Hi-tech cameras scattered across the area; if the system recognized you, it unlocked the doors ahead. If the system didn't recognize you, the doors remained locked. It made the studio my haven since fangirls couldn't get in.

When I arrived at the studio, I was surprised to hear music from inside. I leaned against the door, silently listening. I already knew it was the new girl, Mikan Sakura. Who else could've gotten into the special sector?

The pain ebbing from the music was heart-wrenching. She was playing _Lovers_, from the tragic opera _House of Flying Daggers. _The piece slowly ended, and I dared to open the door a crack. Mikan was turned away from me so she didn't notice, sunlight framing her figure like a halo. She moved to the piano, her small fingers brushing the keys.

I felt like a stalker, watching her through a small crack in the door. So I opened it fully, stepping inside. She visibly tensed, her head snapping up to meet my gaze.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, yet she forced a smile at me. She quickly wiped the tears away. "Sorry, is this your room?"

Normally, I would snap at any girl who wandered into my studio. But this girl was different. Besides, it didn't _really _belong to me. So I settled on answering: "Not really."

"Well, I'll be leaving," Mikan murmured. She briskly walked towards the door.

Something made me stop her. Something made me reach out and grab her hand, and holy crap it scared me.

She stopped and looked at me, conflicted feelings in her eyes. They were mixed with sadness, confusion, and who knows what. I felt so stupid as I let go her hand.

"Um...you play the violin well," I said awkwardly. A couple seconds passed and she still stood there.

"You're Natsume, right? The one who ignored me earlier?" Mikan finally asked.

"About that, sorry. I'm not very energetic in Narumi's class. And I thought you'd be another annoying fangirl, like Luna." I explained. I didn't even know why I was explaining myself. Since when did _the _Natsume Hyuuga have to explain himself?

"Oh, it's fine," Mikan said. Her eyes were red, even though she'd stopped crying.

"Well, tomorrow we have our first modeling session. The principal will send a notice to your room tonight about the information," I said. "And uh...stop crying." (Natsume's shot at being gentle.)

Mikan nodded, and ran out the room.

I just plopped onto the couch and moaned. Man I looked pathetic. Is this what they call love?


End file.
